Insanity's Light
by Ceso
Summary: A weapon was built, only to be lost. Only one person knows its true location, and because of that, his friends decide to take drastic measures. He is placed in a hospital where no one can touch him. Only one doctor can make him see the light. MD
1. First Day

**~*~**

**Insanity's Light**

**By Ceso**

**~*~**

"Damnit!"  I screamed, pounding my fists angrily into my pillow.  My life was over was I knew it.  I continued to scream into my pillow for a few moments, before allowing heart-wrenching sobs to overtake me.

Pathetic?  Maybe.

My name is Aino Minako, and I work as a doctor at 'Shallow Bridges home for the Mentally Ill'.  Cute name, in my opinion.  Except a little forward.  Who wants to go to a place with 'Mentally Ill' as its title.

Well as adorable as I found this place to be mere moments ago, I suddenly found myself hating it.

I had just received a call (which is never good) telling me I was getting transferred.  They're sending me to a more remote location, to a place where they send the _really_ mentally ill patients.  It was top security, meant to keep even the trickiest of patients in.

Now a transfer like this _sounds_ like a promotion, but in reality, it was what I dreaded most.  It would mean moving, and besides, my boyfriend lived here!  In town.

"Miiiiinako." Came a disgustingly cheerful voice from my living room.  Crap. 

I did _not_ feel like entertaining today, but I still forced myself out of bed and into the living room.

"There you are!" The voice laughed, "You look terrible!  What's wrong dear?"

I stared into the eyes of my boyfriend, resisting the terrible urge to strangle him.  You _never_ tell a person who looks like crap, that they looks like crap!  

With an annoyed sigh, I threw myself onto the couch, "I got transferred." I said, muttered.

"That's--- but why?" He asked concerned.

My boyfriend had his times, but he was still a really great guy.  His name was Thomas Arnold Fetcher, and worked as a brain surgeon in town.  He had an adorable personality and was undoubtedly cute, but he was a bit…. Boring.

"They said Golden Oaks (The name of my new facility) needed more experienced staff."

"Oh."

"Ya." I murmured. 

~*~

Golden Oaks looked like a beautiful mansion on the outside, but once you stepped inside, it seemed as though you had stepped into a tight lock security prison.  

"Welcome to Golden Oaks, how may I assist you?" Asked a snobby looking secretary at the front desk.

"I'm a new doctor here, I'm supposed to be meeting Doctor Howard actually…"

"_Your_ Doctor Aino?" She asked, looking me up and down. 

"Yes." I replied tardily. 

"Right this way."

I followed her past a pair of doors that beeped when they shut.  The patient's area was very… white.  It wasn't what you saw on TV though, every so often, colour would appear, in the form of a foamy picture or a chair.

"Doctor Howard, Doctor Aino is here to see you sir." The secretary said as she stepped into a room.

"Send her in."

I didn't wait for the secretary's nod before stepping inside.  

Doctor Howard was an older gentleman, with graying hair and small specks that rested on the tip of his nose.  His outfit was very much a doctors.

"Welcome to our Facility Doctor Aino.  I have heard great things about you." He said pleasantly, putting away the papers he had been working on.

"Likewise." I said, shaking his hand.  For an older man, he certainly had a tight grip.

"Well, I won't bore you with pleasantries, you'll be assigned to unit B.  Your schedule is with our secretary; you should get it on your way out.  You'll notice your hours are similar to those at Shallow Bridges.  We want to make you as comfortable as possible."  

"Thank you." I smiled.

Doctor Howard leaned forward gazing sternly at me, "Don't thank me yet.  Unit B is one of our toughest units.  We wanted to give you something easier to start off with, but your previous boss told us you could take a lot.  To be truthful, many people quit after the first day of working with Unit B."

I pursed my lips thoughtfully, "What's in Unit B?"

"Mostly Bipolar, but a few Schizophrenics and MPD's."

"I didn't think Bipolar needed to be hospitalized."

He gave me a weary smile, "These are the heavy Bipolar cases."

"How many nurses?" I asked, knowing the answer wasn't going to be good.

"Three." He sighed regretfully, "Like I said, it's a bad wing."

"Doctors?"

"You're the only doctor in that Unit," He must have noticed my distressed look because he continued, "We plan on hiring more though, so it shouldn't be too long before we have a full staff."

"Great." I sighed heavily.  

"Cheer up, I'll show you your unit now, if you'll follow me." He motioned for me to follow as he stepped out the door.

Apparently my unit was one of the most heavily guarded ones.  The patients there were notorious for breakouts.

"Ah! Helen!" Doctor Howard exclaimed as they stopped at a woman.  The woman was pretty in her own right, but the deep bags under her eyes, and the miserable look in her face ruined it.

"Helen, This is Doctor Aino." He explained, smiling charmingly.

"Hello Doctor Aino." The woman smiled slightly, "Did you see were Buttons went?"

At my confused look, Doctor Howard explained, "Buttons was her cat, he died a few years back." He added the last part as a whisper.

My mouth went into a perfect 'O' before Doctor Howard quickly walked on.  The next woman we met had MPS.  Apparently she suffered from child abuse as a child and now bore 4 personalities inside her named: July, Brittany, Sally and Ginny.

I met many people, each with their own story.  This was the most interesting part of my job, learning how patients received their mental illnesses.  I remember once, one of my professors described mental illnesses as this:

_If you break your arm, your brain tells you its broken.  If you hurt your brain, it is unable to tell you it's broken._

When I thought of having a mental illness, as simply your brain being hurt, it didn't make it so weird.

I suppose I forgot to tell you how I came into this line of work. 

It was right after Usagi's battle with Chaos.  I remember seeing all those people lying there, and it was then that I decided I wanted to do something more with my life.  Ami was ecstatic. 

So here I am today, my friends are all off living their lives.  Usagi got married to Mamoru (as everyone knew she would) and gave birth to Chibiusa four years ago.  Makoto is a head chief at this fancy new restaurant in town, Rei's grandpa passed away, leaving her with the shrine and Ami is a fellow doctor.

"Ah and least but not least…" Doctor Howard said, interrupting my train of thought.  I had to admit, Doctor Howard was a pleasant guy to work with.

"Right in here.  He's just had his meds so he many be a bit out of it…"

We walked into a room, totally plain with the exception of a bed.  On the bed laid a man, who must have been very handsome in his former life.  At the moment though, he was gaunt faced, with miserable eyes and a shadowy disposition.

"Good evening Duo.  I've brought your new Doctor here to met you." He said smiling as he ushered Minako in the door, "Minako, This is Duo Maxwell.  He has Bipolar, one of the worst cases to hit Golden oaks…"

I didn't hear what else Doctor Howard was saying, because at that moment, I had looked Duo straight in the eye.  The scariest part was he was looking back.  Though his entire body seemed lifeless, his eyes were… different.

I leaned down to his level; vaguely aware that Doctor Howard had stopped talking.

"Hello Duo." I whispered. 

Duo opened his mouth to speak, but it seemed like such a struggle to do so.  At first he was unable to say anything, struggling with the simplest of words until he finally managed to gasp out, "Hey."

I smiled comfortingly and placed my hand on his.  His hands were so cold, yet I didn't want to let go.  I felt bad for Duo, having to live his life the way he did.  One day he was on top of the world, and the next he was in the dumps.

"He got over the mania stage a few days ago," Doctor Howard told me, "We've given him some meds to help with the depression, so he should be in tip top shape in a few days."

As well as one could be in his case, I thought to myself.  It scared me to think that _anyone_ could become like the people I worked with.  

"I'll see you later Duo." I murmured, giving his hand one extra squeeze before standing up.

As I walked out of the room, I was aware of the pair of dead eyes watching my exit.

"Well Doctor Aino, how do you like your unit?" He asked as we made our way back to his office.

I smiled jokingly, "Give me a week, and then ask me again."

Doctor Howard smiled as we reached his office, "Well I'll see you tomorrow then, don't forget to pick up your schedule."

I nodded a farewell, and then walked out the thick doors.  Stopping in front of the desk, I glanced at the secretary, "I'm supposed to pick up my schedule here?"

"Yes ma'am, here you are." She said giving me the folder.  I nodded and took it, but as I was about to leave, the secretary suddenly giggled.

"What?" I asked offhandedly, rifling through my papers.

"I heard you got unit B?"

I give her an odd look, "You heard correctly, what's so funny?"

"That means you got _him_."

"Who?" I asked, getting slightly irritated.

"Duo." She giggled once more.

"What about him?" I asked, placing my hand on my hip.

"I thought you met him?"

"He was on his meds when I walked in, now tell me what's so funny?" I asked once more, slowly losing my patience.

"Oh Duo is a rather frisky one…" Another giggle.

"Frisky?" I asked raising an eyebrow.  It was hard to believe someone so dead looking could be described as _frisky_.  But then, he was on his meds when I saw him.

"Oh yes, he's quiet the man once he has the mind to be."

I thought that was a silly way to describe it, but let it go with a casual flick of my wrist, before walking out.  

Tomorrow would be my first real day at Golden Oaks, and although I still wasn't too happy about the move, I couldn't help but feel slightly excited about tomorrow's activities.

~*~

Hey guys!  Lol as you can probably tell, I was in Psychology when I thought this one up.  For anyone who doesn't know or is curious, I've put definitions at the bottom…

Bipolar Disorder (aka Maniac Depressive illness) – A disorder of affect or mood.  It is characterized by extreme mood swings.  The mood swings are episodic – in between episodes the person is usually completely well.  Mania is the highest point of Bipolar.  It is when activity and thought speed up, there is less need to sleep, mood is high and self conscious, with a sense of well being.  

Schizophrenia – A brain disease, the result of physical and biochemical changes in the brain.  Symptoms of Schizophrenia include disordered thinking, delusions, paranoia, hallucinations, changes in emotions and behavior. (Not split personality)

MPD (aka Multiple Personality Disorder OR Dissociate Identity Disorder) – The presence of two or more distinct identities or personality states (each with its own relatively enduring pattern of perceiving, relating to and thinking about the environment and self)

Okay, the definition of Bipolar was shortened, but that's because it has such a long definition and it's pretty complex.  

**The illness I mentioned in this story are not usually hospitalized today, as we have a wide variety of medication to help them live healthy normal lives, but for the sake of the story I have placed them in hospitals.**

**Also, I apologize to anyone who was offended by the contents of this story.**


	2. Hello Mr Maxwell

~*~

Insanity's Light – Chapter Two 

~*~

Today was my first real day at Golden Oaks.  To say the least, I felt a bit nervous, but that was a normal reaction to the first day of work.  

I had worked with many different people, and seen many different cases… but for some reason, I just couldn't get Duo's eyes out of my head.  Something about him wasn't right… it just didn't… _click_.  

As I walked through the doors, I managed a small 'hello' to the secretary.  If I had to see her every say, then at least it would be on friendly terms.

My office was in my wing, and from what Dr. Howard had told me, all the nurses knew to come to me with their emergencies.  

I entered my office, knowing not to expect much, and I wasn't disappointed.  The room was very plain.  I already knew my schedule for the day.  Dr. Howard had suggested I took today to get to know my patients, and so help me, I planned to do so.

Dropping my stuff onto the desk, I took to exploring the hallways.

"Good Morning Dr. Aino." Said a pretty nurse as she walked past me.  I nodded in return, my focus on the patients.  The first person I encountered was none other than the MPD patient.  

The woman was sitting patiently on a stool, playing a game of chess, which would have been a totally normal thing to do, if there was someone sitting on the other end.

I calmly sat across from her, watching her actions.

"Morning doctor." The woman greeted, not looking up from her game.

"Good morning, and how are you today?" I asked politely.

"Terrible…" She muttered, "I have a headache."

I smiled warmly, "Is that all?"

The woman looked at me and shrugged.

I choose to move on.

I walked around my wing, stopping to talk to different people and getting to know them.   As I did though, I noticed a solitary figure sitting motionless in one of the chairs.

I knew who it was before I even reached him.

"Good morning Mr. Maxwell." I greeted him as I took a seat beside him, "How are you feeling this morning?"

Duo looked at me, straight at me once again, and shook his head.  I reached out and took his hand once again, hoping to stimulate some type of conversation from him.

"Do you remember me?  We met yesterday." I said softly.

Duo closed his eyes, then reopened them, "I do."

I felt a surge of life.  He had responded.

"And how are you feeling?" I persisted.

He stared at me through those dark lifeless eyes.  I felt myself shudder involuntarily, as his eyes undressed me, leaving my very soul wide open to him.  I wanted nothing more than for him to reply, so I stood my ground.

Finally, after what seemed like eternity, he responded, "Why do you care?"

That wasn't the answer I was expecting.  I still felt unnerved by his eyes, so this answer threw me completely off balance.  I wasn't sure how to respond.  Why did I care?  Why did anyone care?  I closed my eyes and racked my brain for an answer.  Before I could figure one out though, he responded.

"Forget it, you care because its your job right?  It has nothing to do with the person." His voice seemed hollow and empty as he attempted to laugh, as though he had made a joke.

"That's not true Mr. Maxwell…" I responded lamely.  For some reason, it seemed as though my brain and my tongue refused to work together.  I felt stupid even as I was saying it.

His cold laugh echoed through the room, almost hauntingly.  I felt myself shudder again.  I felt the need to move my hands… to do _something._  I reached up and slowly pushed away a piece of my blonde hair that had fallen into my line of vision.

Duo watched my movements as though he was mesmerized.  When I realized what he was doing, I dropped my hand, allowing the hair to fall back into the face.  I would not fidget in front of a patient.

Duo stared at me for a few moments, before out of nowhere he reached up and took my hair in his hands.  He was gentle… so very gentle, as he slowly tucked the hair behind my ear.  I felt myself shiver with a horrible sense of delight.  The way he touched me had sparked something… something that should never have been awoken by a patient.

"You have…" He whispered, his face so very close to mine, "The most beautiful hair."

My voice cracked as I replied, "Thank you." It came out more like a whisper, but I ignored it.

"And your eyes… are so full of life.  So very… exciting." He whispered, cupping my face with his large rough hands, "I can't help but wonder why someone so full of life… is working here… your eyes will fade." He said quietly.

My eyes will fade.  I didn't understand what he meant by that, but I knew this had to stop.  I willed myself to get control, and pulled away.  I could see the odd look still in his eyes as he whispered once more, "Leave now… or else your eyes will fade."

I gave him a stricken look, before replying, "This is my life.  Its what I've chosen to do Mr. Maxwell.  This is my dream."

He shook his head, encasing my petite hands in his, "Don't lie."

I felt like throwing up.  Duo had seen too much already.  The way he looked at me, and the way he made me feel… I felt the nauseated feeling stir in my stomach once more.

"Till next time Mr. Maxwell." I murmured standing up.  I was surprised my legs could even hold me, though they were quite shaky.  As I turned to leave, it was all I could do not to flee from the room all together.  I could feel his eyes on me as I left.

I didn't get out of the room, as his voice suddenly halted me, "you can only run for so long… don't let them fade…"

I opened the door with more force then intended and walked out of the room.

I managed to make it to my office, still shaking heavily.  I dropped into my chair, glad for the support.  His words kept running through my head… and his touches… I could still feel them all over my body.  

But he had done something only one person had ever done before.  He had seen right through me.  He had seen my pain and my pleasure… and he knew how to manipulate them.

Duo was a man to be feared, and suddenly… it all made sense.  It was no wonder all the doctors kept quitting.  There was little doubt that he had done the same thing to them.

A soft knock at my door brutally brought me back to reality, "Come in." I said, grateful for the interruption.

A small nurse, I recognized to be from my wing, walked inside.  She was young, if not younger than me, and was rather pretty.  Her thick brown hair was pulled back, and the faintest hint of a dimple was evident from her cheeks.

"Sorry for interrupting." She murmured, and for some reason I was faintly reminded of a mouse.  Just the way she walked, talked and looked, all seemed too small and delicate.

"Not at all." I responded, motioning for her to sit down, "Did you want to talk?"

"Yes… its about Duo."

"Oh."

"He…" she began, "He's not a bad person.  He just does this to all the doctors.  He doesn't mean to."

I hid my amused look.  Did she think I was new to this kind of thing?  Granted, it had never gotten to me the way it did today, but I was a professional.  What really warmed my heart though, was the concern the nurse was showing towards a patient.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name…"  

"Oh!" the nurse blushed, "How rude of me.  Mary Lee.  I'm a nurse in your wing."

I smiled encouragingly, "So tell me more about Duo, how long has he been here?"

Mary shuffled in her seat slightly, "well, he's been here longer than I have… I believe about six or seven years…"

I blinked in surprise.  Six or seven years?  That was a long time for any patient.

"He's gotten worse since he's been here though…" she continued, "It seems like everyday he slowly dies.  He used to be so much fun… and now… he seems so dead."

Mary's eyes took a far away look to them, glazed over in what could only be described as despair. 

"But…" Mary said suddenly, "He touched you, didn't he?"

I closed my eyes, trying to get rid of the feelings that had so forcefully sprung back up.  He _had_ touched me.  It wasn't as though this was unusual, but the way he was so gentle… as though he might break me if he touched me.

"Yes… yes he did."

Mary gave me a confused look, "he never touches the doctors.  Not like that anyways… after you left… he stared at the door for so long too… he likes you I think."

I didn't know what to say.  Every time I thought of Duo, my skin would burn where he had touched me.  The room seemed to grow hotter with every passing second… I felt… erotic.

"Dr. Aino?"

I opened my eyes, hoping my thoughts weren't too evident.

"I just—I hope your not planning on quitting.  We're running out of doctors you see…. and…"

I smiled shakily, trying to push away my thoughts, "I wasn't planning on quitting, I can assure you.  Duo is an interesting character, but he's no different from anyone else out there." 

Duo was interesting… maybe a too interesting.

The nurse smiled warmly, obviously glad Duo hadn't scared me away, "I'm glad, don't worry, I'll talk to him."

My protests fell on deaf ears, as she wandered out the door, leaving me to my haunting thoughts.

~*~

Lol, its almost funny how I can go from writing Minako's bubbly character in Angel Café, to a more depressed Minako like on here XD I need a life.

I was actually pretty proud of this chapter… it turned out a bit different then I imagined, but whatever -_^

**Review Responses:**

**Onewingedangel6547 – **lol, don't ask me how I manage to work on all of them at once… I guess you could say I don't have a life.  I'm glad you liked it!  Thanks for the review!

**SVZ **– I swear I'll get the spelling thing right one of these days.  Sort of what your going through you said?  I hope everything's okay.  Thanks for the review!

**Vega03 **– Don't worry -_^ I'm positive they'll show up, after all they have to keep Duo safe right?  That's all I can tell you, lol Thanks for the review!

**Tenshi-Hotaru** – Lol, that's where I got the idea, this is the second story you've seen through!  Stop it! Lol.  I'm glad you like this one, personally I love psychology, and its fun writing this.  Thanks for the review!

**Transcendent **– I will get this right sooner of later… And I hope I haven't rubbed off on you… that whole continue soon scared the hell outta me.  Are you feeling okay?  Lol, thanks for the review!

**angelicmayuka **– I'm going to have to stop putting out stories then, aren't I -_^ lol thanks for the review!

**Jewels14 **– I'm glad, Thanks for the review ^-^

**datajana** – I love psychology… like you said, the terms are so great and it gives me such a different perspective of people with mental illnesses.  Duo was being drugged so no one would suspect anything… I know that sounds kind of weird, but it'll make sense later.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed!  I'm sooo tired!  I just spent the last two days working on all my stories… I don't think I could type another sentence… arg… lol

~Ceso


	3. Therapy

~*~

Insanity's Light chapter Three 

~*~

"Good morning Dr. Aino!" said a cheerful voice from the door, handing me a steaming cup of coffee.  _Thank god_.

I smiled and nodded my response, taking a long whiff of the coffee.  No doubt I would need all the caffeine I could get today.

I would be talking to the patients today as a therapy technique. 

Sitting at my desk I pushed the intercom button and told the nurse to start bringing in the patients.  My first patient suffered from Bipolar, currently getting over the mania stage.  Her name was Maria.

She sat down and smiled at me, waiting for me to say something.

"Hello Maria, how are you this morning?" I asked pleasantly, taking a seat in front of her, resting my clipboard on my knees.

"I'm doing well," She replied airily, "A bit tired mind you, but well enough."

"Are you not sleeping well?'

"Oh no, I sleep just fine." 

I nodded, making a quick note to check up on that.

"Dr. Aino?"

"Yes?" I replied, looking up for my clipboard.

"What's your name?"

"Minako, Aino Minako." I said without hesitation.

"How lovely." Maria said, "You remind me of my daughter."

"You have a daughter?" I asked curiously.

"Yes. such a dear thing.  She's turning twelve next week.  Her name is Lily." Maria answered with a far off look in her eyes.

"Do you see her often?" I ventured to ask.

"Oh. well. sometimes." Maria answered, "She's busy with school you understand."

"Of course." I nodded.  

For the next hour I asked Maria many questions, many of which were about the mania stage of her bipolar.  Thanks to her medication though, it had passed quickly and uneventfully.

After she left, the nurse walked in.

"Hello." I muttered, still writing things down.

"Dr. Aino, I was wondering if I could sit in on the next few sessions?" She asked nervously.

At first I was reluctant to say yes, but ended up giving in, "Not at all." I said, motioning for her to sit down as another patient was brought in.

The next patient was none other than Helen. 

To my surprise, I found the nurse to be quite handy to have around.  She knew many things about each of the patients, and was more than willing to tell me about them.

As time progressed, I came to know my patients much better.  But even that could not suppress my curiosity about Duo Maxwell.  He came last on the list, sauntered in like he was king of the world, and plopped down on the chair.

The nurse, who I had found out was named Claire, quickly began explaining a bit more about him.  Most of it I already knew.  

Some thing I found quite relieving in Claire's explanation of Duo was that she, as well as many others, had a special interest in Duo.  Unfortunately as the explanation continued, I found out her interest was merely focused on attraction.

". Mr. Maxwell also likes telling us how he's a Gundam pilot, isn't that right Duo?"

My attention flickered momentarily to Duo.  I wasn't very interested in this statement; I had heard it too many times by my other patients to really pay too much heed to it.

Duo simply nodded, he too didn't seem very interested in the statement.

"Thank you Claire." I said quickly, before she had a chance to begin talking again, "Shall we start?"

"Oh yes." Claire said inclining her head towards Duo.

"Now then Mr. Maxwell, why don't you tell us about yourself?" I asked, lowering my clipboard.

"Well." He began, "I quite enjoyably reside here. in this wonderful. place."

While Claire looked annoyed at his response, I nodded and motioned for him to go on.

"My wonderful friends brought me here." he continued.

"Your friends?" I interrupted, "What about your family?"

"I don't have one." Duo said simply.

"No mother?  Or father?"

"No." He replied carelessly, "I've never known my parents."

"Interesting," I muttered, "Are you close with your friends?"

"You could say that." 

"Do they visit you often?" Minako persisted.

"Often enough." Duo said with a shrug, "Does it matter?"

Claire was giving me a hard look, but I ignored her, "It may." I replied, but chose to move on.

"Did you have any working jobs at all during your life?" 

"I had many jobs." Duo replied.

"Could you name a few?"

"Well.." Duo said thoughtfully, "A mechanic, pilot, and I did a bit of church business."

While he was talking I stared straight into his eyes.  He stared back, though his talking did not cease.  It was as though he was saying one thing and thinking another.

As I watched him though, I began to get the feeling that I was standing naked in front of him.  His eyes wandered freely over my body, but it was when he looked my in the eye that disturbed me the most.

"Mr. Maxwell, do you have a wife?" I asked suddenly, remembering Helen.

The look on his face made he regret asking, "No." He said, "Interested?"

"Just wondering."

"I'm sure." He said, leaning forward, "But you have a husband no doubt, someone as pretty as you could hardly _not_." I began to reply but he interrupted, "Or better yet, a boyfriend who isn't ready to commit.  Does that make you _sad_ Minako?"

I froze.  My body felt as though it had been dipped in ice.  The way he read me scared me more than anything, yet there was also an addiction to see him again.  He had also called me by my real name.  For that reason alone a shiver ran through my body.

"Duo!" Claire snapped, "Behave yourself!  Can't you see your upsetting the doctor?"

That was what I needed to pull me back into reality.  I felt like smacking Claire.  He was not _upsetting_ me, he just startled me, and she didn't need to tell him that either!

Duo grinned cheekily, in his dark manner and cocked his head to the side, "Hit a nerve didn't I?"

"Hardly." I replied dryly, "We're talking about you Mr. Maxwell, not me."

"And what if I want to know a bit about my doctor?"

I shrugged, "My personal life is not the issue."

"Does he keep you warm at night?"

I almost choked at his words, "E-excuse me?"

Duo shot me a cheeky grin, "I said, does he keep you warm at night?"

"Duo!" Claire almost shrieked, "Please just ignore him Dr. Aino, he gets like this some times."

I would _not_ be intimidated by my patients.  Shrugging casually, I replied, "Is there a reason for this question?"

"You don't seem very happy.  Does he not _please_ you?"

"I would ask that you leave my sex life out of this." I said, trying not to let it out that he had ruffled my feathers.

Duo shrugged, "If things don't work out, I'll show you how a real ma---"

"That is quite enough!" Claire snapped.

"Mr. Maxwell, do you know the reason you were brought here?" I said to change the subject.

"Sure," He snickered, "Because I have Bipolar disease."

I nodded and turned to Claire, "Do you mind giving us a moment?"

Claire blinked in surprise, but left nonetheless. 

After the door had clicked shut, I turned to Duo.

"Want some alone time, is that it?" Duo grinned suggestively.

"No," I said dully, "I have a question."

"And that would be?"

My eyes hardened considerable, "Do you _really_ have Bipolar?"

~*~

Hey guys!  Ack, im home sick today so I decided to take the time to write another chapter!  Grr I hate colds!

Anyways.

**Review Responses:**

**Regina del fuoco di amore - **Thanks so much!  That was what I was going for in this, I really wanted to make something that seemed real!  Thanks for the review!

**Jewels14** - Lol thanks, and thanks for the review!

**angelicmayuka - **lol I noticed that.  I'm glad you like Minako and Duo's characters in this!  Thanks for the review!

**Vega03 - **Thanks, I'm glad its interesting you!  Thanks for the review!

**SVZ - **I never even noticed that until you pointed it out lol.  I'm glad your feeling better!  I know what you mean about getting lazy about those kind of things.  I have problems with 'I' every time I write out a review im so used to word automatically changing the small I to a capital I. well, you get it.  Lol Thanks for your review!

**Tenshi-Hotaru - **lol I'm a pretty odd person, to be honest I never just sit down and write one story straight.  I usually have at least three stories going at once which is why I usually update them all at once.  Anyways can you guess the other movie that inspired this story?  Lol it's pretty tough, anyways thanks for the review!

**datajana - **lol Minako is a miracle worker.  6-7 years is a long time, I almost feel bad for putting him in there for so long, lol Thanks for the review!

~*~

Thanks for the reviews!  Sorry this chapter was so short! 

~Ceso


	4. The Talk

Insanity's Light

Chapter Four

* * *

I watched Duo carefully for any signs of lying. He blinked once, though he never took his eyes off me. But the second I had mentioned it, something had flashed in is eyes. I couldn't describe what it was... just that it was something. His face took on a careless look once more as he smiled at me and said:

"You're the doctor aren't you? You tell me."

I frowned at his tarty reply and looked away from him. I hated the way he simply stared into my eyes, as though seeing into my very soul. I had my secrets, everyone did, and few people wanted those secrets known.

"I'm going to look over the reports of your examinations," I told him as I sifted through my papers, "You realize if you dont have Bipolar, theres a chance you could leave here, right?"

I took the moment to chance a look at him. His eyes were glazed over, a far away look on his face. Quickly, he shook his head and looked at me once me, "I can never leave."

I frowned, "Of course you can leave..."

"I can't."

I sat back in my chair and examined Duo openly. He didn't move or squirm in his chair, only stared back, as though waiting for me to look away. I didn't.

"Duo, if you don't have Bipolar, then you have the chance to live a normal healthy life. Think about it, you can go out, get a job, get married, have children... you could have all the happiness in the world. Many of the patients here would jump at a chance for that."

He smiled coldly, "Then let them have it. I've had about all the happiness from this world that I can take. As for getting married... yes, I could do that, but why would I want a relationship like yours?"

"Duo..." I said warningly.

"You come to work everyday, with a smile you have to force, and talk to the patients like you actually care about them... you're not happy Minako, and whatever it is your looking for, forgiveness, redemption, you won't find it here."

I reeled back as if struck. Coldness settled into my limbs, as I rejected the urge to wrap my arms around myself. He didn't know... He couldn't. I shuddered visibly and made a noise in my throat.

"I think you should leave." Duo said quietly, this time, his eyes were averted.

"I'm not leaving." I told him immediatly, though I knew my voice wavered.

"Your a fool then. You talk to me about leaving this place, about the freedoms of choice, and yet here you stay, in the place you seem to condem so much."

"I don't condem it..."

"What are you hiding from Minako? What wrongs are you trying to right?" He murmered, and suddenly I realized he was kneeling in front of me, his hands on the armrests of my chair.

"Duo!" I gasped out, moving backwards into my chair, "What are yo--"

"Frightened?" He asked me, his eyes hooded as he leaned ever closer, "Do you fear me or the truths I reveal to you?"

"Duo, please go sit down." I whispered.

He ignored me, as his hand covered mine and slowly began intertwining our fingers. He seemed intent on his task as he gently touched me.

I knew it was wrong, and yet I couldn't force myself to pull away from him. There was something so amazing, so touching about what he was doing. He turned my hand over and slowly began tracing small circles in my palm. I shuddered with pleasure.

"Minako..." He whispered.

A gasped and renched my hand away from his, horrified with myself. How could I have let this happen? What was I doing with a _patient_.

"Duo. Sit down." I commanded as I cradled my hand.

This time he listened, though he stared into my eyes even as he moved.

"Duo, you can't do things like that to a doctor." I told him, though my eyes never met his.

"I know."

"Then why did you do it?" I asked him, my eyes flickering to his for a moment."

"Because you enjoyed it."

I shrugged in what I hoped was a careless way, "Everyone likes to have their hand held."

He chuckled at my obvious lie, "But you didn't enjoy it in a holding hands kind of way."

I sighed, annoyed at him, but moreso at myself.

"Tell me why you dont want to leave."

"I do want to leave." He retorted.

"Then why can't you?"

He looked away from me then, his gaze focused on the window, and for the first time, I saw longing on his face.

"Why can't you leave, Duo? I persisted.

He smiled at me, the kind of smile you would give a good friend, maybe even a lover, "I just can't."

I sighed and sat back in my chair, "Duo, many people fought and died for the freedom i'm offering you...it doesn't seem possible that you can't leave."

He gave me a tolerant look, one that someone would givea child, and replied quietly, "And what do you know of fighting?"

I closed my eyes for a moment, as a flood of memories of friends dying, of fighting, of killing came rushing back at me. I ruthlessly pushed them back, before I opened my eyes, "I believe I know more about fighting then you give me credit for." I murmured.

"So you fought in the war?"

He put it so bluntly, that for a second I forgot _which_ war he was refering to. _My_ war was the one I remembered, not the one he was thinking of. No, I had not fought in the machine war. I had been given the choice, of course... but I had been fighting for so long against enemies that wanted to destroy the world, that fighting again, for political reasons, did not move me enough to take up arms.

"More or less." I told him.

"Aaah, so you didn't fight. Nurse maybe? Helping the injured and helpless?" He smiled ever so slightly.

"No..."

"It's nothing to be ashamed of," he said with a shrug, "It's a good profession for those who dont want to dirty their hands."

I smiled slowly, "How dissapointing... you dont know the truth this time? Perhaps your loosing your gift."

"Then tell me."

"Fortunatly, this meeting is about you... tell me more about your friends."

He seemed okay with not finishing our conversation at the moment, though I had a feeling the conversation was far from over.

"My friends... they're good people."

"They must care about you a lot."

He chuckled dryly, "Something like that."

"Have you known them long?"

"Yes."

"Childhood friends?"

"No, I was raised in a church, I had few friends."

I nodded, scribbling something down on my paper, "Is there anything else you can tell me about your childhood?"

He frowned, sitting back in his chair, "Not much...I ran around with a gang of boys sometimes. I was a little hellion, as i'm sure you've guessed, but mostly I was lonely."

I nodded again, "When did you leave the church?"

"Early teens I suppose."

"Do you remember the name of this church?"

His eyes closed for a second before he shook his head.

"Alright Duo, I believe thats enough for today. I believe its almost lunch time anyways."

"Ah yes, and we all know how exciting lunch time is." he said dryly.

I smiled at him as I stood, "Come on, we don't want to be late."

"God forbid."

**

* * *

**

At lunch, I walked around the tables, observing the patients as they ate and chatted. Some didn't speak at all, and some spoke too much. Most greeted me cheefully, telling me stories of pets and family.

I felt his eyes on me as I walked around the room.

* * *

Wow, it's been a long time lol. I'm so sorry this took so long to update, i've had the worst case of writers block. I have to admit though, i'm kind of dissapointed. I've noticed that a lot of great authors don't update anymore... hopefully they'll come back though! 

I'll try and keep updating more regularily, but I can't make any promises.

I'd also like to point out something. I've been having insane computer issues these last few months, which is another reason I haven't updated. The computer i'm using right now is beyond useless... all it has is word pad xX I wanted to wait till I got another computer or at least a writing program... but then I started getting reviews, which surprised me soo much. I had assumed my stories were dead. So, I went back and began rereading my stories, and had this sudden urge to write more chapters. So... I braved writing a chapter on word pad. Yes, this chapter is going to be filled with typos and spelling mistakes, so, I apologize for that, but unfortunatly its the best I can do right now.

Thanks for your patience!


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